# LI BRARY OF CONGRES S, i 

# # 

I UNITED STATES OF AMKHICA.J 



famestoton of ^emaquiti: 



^ A POEM 



7 ^^U 



BY 

MRS. MARIA W. HACKELTON. 



READ ON THE SITE OF FORT FREDERIC, ON THE 

RECEPTION OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE 

MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY BY THE 

CITIZENS OF BRISTOL, 



AUGUST 26, 1869. 



PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SOCIETY 




NEW YORK: 

PUBLISHED BY HURD AND HOUGHTON. 

Camfirilffle: Mitier^iJjc ^rcsfs*. 

i86q. 



76 17^1 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 

The Maine Historical Society, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Maine. 



RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: 
PRINTED BY H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY- 



At a meeting of the Committee of the Maine Historical Society, 
appointed in February last, to examine and report upon the re- 
mains of military defenses, paved streets, and early habitations at 
"Ancient Pemaquid" (Bristol), held August 26, 1869, on the site 
of Fort Frederic, it was, on motion, — 

Resolved, That the thanks of this Committee, acting for the 
Society, be tendered to Mrs. Maria W. Hackelton, for the beau- 
tiful and appropriate historical poem written by her, for the occa- 
sion of the gathering of the citizens of this and the neighboring 
towns to welcome and aid the Committee in their investigations, 
and read by her this day ; and that a copy thereof be requested 
of the authoress for preservation in the archives of the Society, 
and for publication. 

EDWARD BALLARD, 
Secretary of the Maine Histoi'ical Society. 



Rev. Edward Ballard, D. D., 

Secretary of the Maine Historical Society : — 
In compliance with the request of the Committee of the Maine 
Historical Society, given through yourself, I commit to your hands 
the poem read before the assemblage at the ruins of Fort Frederic, 
Pemaquid, August 26, 1869, for preservation in the archives of the 
Society, and for publication. 

With full appreciation of the high honor conferred upon me by 
the gentlemen of the Maine Historical Society, I remain. 
Respectfully yours, 

MARIA W. HA.CKELTON. 
Bristol, September 2, 1869. 



PREFATORY NOTICE. 



At a special meeting of the Maine His- 
torical Society, held at Augusta in February 
last, on the motion of Leonard Woods, 
LL. D., a Committee was appointed to exam- 
ine and report upon the remains of the an- 
cient fortification at Pemaquid in the town 
of Bristol, the paved street, and indications 
of the original settlement connected there- 
with. The following members were, on nom- 
ination, selected for this purpose, namely : 
Messrs. Bourne, R. K. Sewall, Poor, Bailey, 
Dike, Woods, Ballard, C. J. Gilman, Brad- 
bury, and North. After consultation, the 
25th and 26th days of August were chosen 
as the time for making the proposed investi- 
gation. In the mean while, a correspon- 
dence had been carried on with some of the 
citizens of Bristol ; who, cherishing a deep 
interest in the designs of the Committee, and 
desirous of facilitating to the utmost their 



6 PREFATORY NOTICE, 

work in the proposed examinations, secured 
the appointment of a committee of the town 
to give a welcome to the representatives of 
the Society, provide for their hospitable en- 
tertainment, and, aid them in all suitable 
ways to accomplish the object of their in- 
quiries. This local committee was com- 
posed of William Hackelton, Esq., Hon. 
David Chamberlain, Hon. Arnold Blaney, 
Chandler Bearce, Cyrus Fossett, Alexander 
Yates, James Nichols, Leander Morton, and 
Charles P. Tibbetts, Esquires. 

On the afternoon of the first of the days 
appointed for the visit, the Committee exam- 
ined the ancient mill-race, with its side-cuts, 
at the village of Pemaquid Falls. This ex- 
cavation is remarkable, principally, for the 
fact that no tradition exists in relation to its 
origin. Conjecture reasonably enough as- 
cribes its construction to some portion of 
the earliest settlers, for carrying saw and 
grist mills to supply the wants of the 
ancient town below. 

On the next day, the 26th, the Committee 
assembled at the site of Fort Frederic, the 
last of the four defensive structures, erected 
at different dates for the protection of the 



PREFATORY NOTICE. 7 

frontier. Its foundations still remain, with 
the traces of the bastion at the northeast 
corner, and of the round tower at the op- 
posite angle that was made to inclose a 
high pointed rock, for service against future 
beseigers, as it had before aided for attack. 
A cannon-ball and the fragment of a shell, 
doubtless thrown from the battery of Iber- 
ville on the rising ground across the bay, of 
which the outlines still remain, had been 
taken from the western bank of the de- 
fenses, and were presented for observation. 
By the diligence of some members of the 
local committee, a portion of the paved street 
had been laid bare by the removal of the 
superincumbent soil, to the depth of eight 
to eighteen inches, over which the plough- 
share had often been driven in former years. 
The regular arrangement of the beach-stones, 
the depression for the water-course to the 
shore, the curb-stones, the adjoining founda- 
tion-stones still in place, articles of house- 
hold furniture, and implements of the arti- 
san, — all these and other concurring facts 
proved, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that 
a European community had dwelt on this 
spot, and had made this long street in imi- 



5 PREFATORY NOTICE. 

tation of what they had left in the mother- 
land. In the examination in this locality an 
essential service was rendered by the Hon. 
Elisha Clarke of Bath, a native of Bristol, 
whose familiarity with the place and earnest- 
ness in laborious search brought up from 
the ground several long concealed utensils 
of domestic use. The cemetery at the 
northeast end of this street, and near the 
edge of the peninsula, contains a few ancient 
memorials of the dead ; the one bearing the 
date of 1695 being the oldest now remaining. 
The more ancient have decayed, or been re- 
moved from the plain now used as a grass- 
field, and have been lost. The low timbers 
of the wharf of remote days are still washed 
by the daily tides ; and partially filled cel- 
lars in the triple lines of parallel streets 
show the places where the dwellings stood 
in the early times. The inhabitants are 
said to have numbered five hundred persons 
and more ; and the number of houses re- 
maining within the memory of a person now 
living, and reported by a tradition sustained 
by the numerous cellars, is sufficient to war- 
rant the belief in this amount of the popula- 
tion. ^ 

1 " Ancient Peraaquid " in Me. Hist. Coll., vol. v. p. 234. 



PREFATORY NOTICE. 9 

At eleven oclock, the hour appointed for 
the formal reception of the Committee, the 
large concourse of people, who from an 
early hour had been assembling from the 
neighboring region, gathered around the 
platform which had been erected within the 
outlines of the Fort for the two committees 
and invited guests, and had been adorned 
with the American and English flags, and 
evergreens from the neighboring forest. 
The Hon. Arnold Blaney of Bristol was in- 
vited to preside. The Rev. Mr. Bean of 
the same place offered prayer. Prof John 
Johnston, LL. D., of the University at Mid- 
dletown, Conn., a native of Bristol, made the 
Address of Welcome, in the course of which 
he gave a succinct narrative of the early 
rise and varying fortunes of the settlement. 
A response was made by the Hon. E. E. 
Bourne of Kennebunk, President of the So- 
ciety and Chairman of the Committee, in 
which he expressed the thanks of its mem- 
bers for their gratifying reception by the 
citizens of the town. He explained their 
purpose in visiting this place of numerous 
stirring historic associations, and urged the 
importance of knowing the history of Pem- 



lO PREFATORY NOTICE. 

aquid, to whose waters the ships of the Eng- 
lish nation came for business before Plym- 
outh had a beginning. 

A poem was then announced by the Pres- 
ident, which had been prepared to add in- 
terest to this welcome, at the earnest solici- 
tation of the local committee, by Mrs. 
Maria W. Hackelton, and was read by the 
authoress, thus adding a new charm to the 
already inspiring incidents of the day. The 
subject was " Jamestown of Pemaquid." 
At a subsequent stage of the proceedings, 
the Committee, acting in behalf of the So- 
ciety, in connection with their vote of 
thanks for this offering, solicited a copy for 
publication, and for preservation in its 
archives. It accordingly is herewith pre- 
sented. 

Dr. Leonard Woods of Brunswick yielded 
to the call of the President, and spoke of 
the very great satisfaction experienced by 
the Committee at finding the remains of the 
ancient days more abundant and interest- 
ing than had been anticipated. The exis- 
tence of the paved street could no longer 
be discredited. He then proceeded with 
statements to show the high probability 



PREFA TOR V NO TICE. 1 1 

that the settlement at Pemaquid antedated 
the year 1620. Here were navigable waters 
and commercial advantages of surpassing 
excellence, well known in England by the 
reports of Waymouth in 1605, and other 
later navigators, who came over for the pur- 
pose of discovering fitting places for occu- 
pation ; and all suited to attract attention 
to this very place. Besides, there were doc- 
uments in existence which give confirma- 
tion to this probability. The great New 
England Charter of November, 1620, speaks 
of settlements already made by the English 
on this coast, '• in places agreeable to them- 
selves." What place could be more " agree- 
able" than this for enterprise, or give better 
promise of success } Then, too, the Patent 
granted to John Peirce in 162 1, in the judg- 
ment of recent historians, is evidently not 
to be regarded as the Plymouth Charter, as 
had by some been supposed, but is to be re- 
ferred to his purchase at Pemaquid, whither 
" he had already transported divers persons 
into New England," for a time sufficiently 
long before this date to make it the basis 
of his petition for this grant. And, thirdly, 
in the " Brief Relation " of 1622, there is an 



I 2 PRE FA TOR V NO TICE. 

account of thirty ships engaged in trade and 
the fishery here, "besides those that are 
gone for the transportation of the planters, 
or supply of such as are already planted." 
Moreover, can it be believed that there 
could have been such a fleet here for these 
purposes, and yet no settlement formed ? ^ 
These were not all the proofs, but they were 
enough to show that we ought to look for 
settlements here prior to 1620. It fared 
hard with the early occupants in Maine. 
They had to contend with the French, the 
Indians, pirates, sharpers, and Massachu- 
setts' hostilities ; and the wonder is that 
they were not exterminated. 

The Hon. J. W. Bradbury of Augusta, 
Vice President of the Society, spoke of the 
significant fact, that three nations were in 
early days struggling for the possession of 
our territory — the English, the French, 
and the Portuguese. It was well that 

1 Note by the Secretary. — The events here referred to are the 
same as appear in Winslow's Relation, Mass. Hist. Coll., vol. viii. 
p. 245, where he says the Plymouth people were in great want, 
and their " store of victuals was wholly spent." He went for aid 
to "Damarin's Cove, near Munhiggen," where their need was 
" freely " supplied. At " Munhiggen was a plantation of Sir F. 
Gorges.''^ lb. 2d ser. vol. ix. p. 85. The name Monhegan had a 
wider application than now, embracing Damarin's Cove, and 
Pemaquid. 



PREFA TOR Y NO TICE. I 3 

neither of the last two succeeded, as history 
showed that they were not as good for 
colonization as the Anglo-Saxon race. He 
referred to the occupation at Sagadahoc, 
by Popham, as securing this region to the 
English race as against the French, and 
thus determining the whole future progress 
of the country. It is one of the great facts 
on which the destinies of this nation turn. 

Addresses of great practical interest were 
also made by the Rev. President Harris 
and the Rev. Dr. Packard of Bowdoin Col- 
lege, Hon. J. A. Poor and E. H. Elwell, Esq., 
of Portland, A. G. Tenney, Esq., of Bruns- 
wick, and R. K. Sewall, Esq., of Wiscasset; 
the last of whom presented many interest- 
ing facts connected with the history of the 
place, and particularly the location of Iber- 
ville's battery on the heights across the har- 
bor, which commanded a former fort at the 
time of its capture in 1696. 

Before leaving the stage, on motion, a 
copy of Prof Johnston's address was so- 
licited by the Committee for the Society, to 
be published with its proceedings. 

After the hospitable dinner provided by 
the local committee for their guests, the 



14 PREFATORY NOTICE. 

Committee proceeded to visit the remains 
of a fortification on the western side of the 
harbor on a point of land selected with mil- 
itary accuracy to command the upper and 
lower passages of the bending river. The 
outlines of the works can be easily traced, 
with a bastion in one corner. A paved way 
is still to be seen leading downward to- 
wards the bank, but covered deep with turf 
and soil. At its lower end a cellar is found, 
floored with smooth and matched stones, 
with a double wall of faced stone. A fossil- 
iferous stone of foreign origin, in hewn 
blocks, appears among the ruins. The re- 
mains of a settlement are shown in the well, 
the nearly filled cellars, the tan-pit and frag- 
ments of leather, bits of iron, and the slag 
of a blacksmith's forge. Many articles in- 
dicating the usages of the inhabitants have 
here come to light, as a gun-barrel, a flint- 
lock, pipes for smoking, wrought nails, frag- 
ments of glass and earthen ware, a spoon, 
an iron bullet, a brass kettle, an iron pick, 
and other objects of interest to the searcher 
for antiquities. It excited the surprise of 
the visitors, that no recorded or traditional 
evidence attests the existence of such a 



PREFATORY NOTICE. I 5 

fortification and surrounding dwellings. The 
ruins alone bear the evidence of the activi- 
ties of the past. 

The explorations were now finished, as far 
as the allotted time would allow. A sub- 
committee was appointed to continue the ex- 
aminations in portions not yet thoroughly 
searched, and to report to the Secretary of 
the Society. With the dispersing crowd the 
Committee left the place where the events 
of more than two hundred and fifty years — 
events of frontier hardihood, busy toil, the 
successive terrors of war, and the enjoy- 
ments of peace and prosperity — had re- 
appeared in lively review before them, and 
where imagination could easily reproduce 
the large population, the courts, the cus- 
tom-house, the religious worship, the busy 
streets, the ships in the harbor, the battles, 
the desolations, the recoveries, and the slow 
declining passage to final ruin. Before the 
setting of the sun, the daily stillness came 
again around the solitary farm-house on 
Fort Hill, and the hundreds of the gathered 
company took their homeward way, with 
pleasant recollections of this day of historic 
research among the remains of Ancient 
Pemaquid. 



1 6 PREFATORY NOTICE 

The agency of the local committee was 
in every way acceptable and useful in aid- 
ing the design of the Society. It enabled 
its members to become acquainted with 
facts still existing amid the ruins of the 
olden days, as communicated by the testi- 
mony of living witnesses, or restated from 
deeply engraved traditions, to an extent far 
surpassing all their anticipations. Without 
this assistance, their knowledge would have 
been limited and imperfect. It contributed 
largely to the success of their undertaking, 
and to its attendant pleasures, while the 
large assemblage from all quarters around, 
coming by land and by water, the beauty and 
serenity of the day, the attractive scenery of 
the ocean, bay, harbor, hills, and forest, and 
the deep and unfaltering attention of all the 
multitude to the leading purpose of the visit, 
awakened a deep interest to know the yet 
untold history of the place, and of the other 
early settlements on our coast so long over- 
looked and forgotten. 

For the Committee, 

EDWARD BALLARD, 

Sec. Me. Hist. Soc. 
Brunswick, September, 1869. 



HISTORIC SKETCH. 



Our ancient city of Jamestown was built 
upon a peninsula, bearing the name of 
Pemaquid, and lying on the southern coast 
of Maine, within the large extent of ter- 
ritory formerly called Mavooshen. This 
peninsula is now a part of the present town 
of Bristol, and extends from the mouth of 
the Pemaquid River a distance of three 
miles or more in a south-east direction, ter- 
minating in a rocky promontory known as 
Pemaquid Point. Its western shore is 
washed by the waters of Pemaquid Bay and 
Harbor. The river, a clear and beautiful 
stream, flows from the north, widening into 
a broad, circular basin before mingling its 
waters with the bay. At the mouth of the 
river, and on the western shore of the pen- 
insula, stood once the prosperous settle- 
ment known as the " City of Jamestown," ^ 

^ SewaiVs Ancient Dominions, pp. 175, 177. 
2 



I 8 HISTORIC SKETCH. 

and now believed to be among the first of 
the Eno-lish settlements on the coast of 
New England. 

Of this settlement in its earliest days, 
history gives us but little information. Cer- 
tain facts, however, are known, which seem 
to establish the point that at Pemaquid or 
some neighboring location was made the 
first permanent settlement on this coast. 

This region was visited by voyagers at 
the beginning of the seventeenth century : 
by Gosnold in 1602, by De Monts and 
Waymouth in 1605, by Popham in 1607-8, 
and by Smith in 16 14. Monhegan, a large 
island visible from the main land, some 
twelve miles distant on the south-east, was a 
marine station of frequent resort, and prob- 
ably was permanently inhabited before the 
year 1619.^ The New England Charter of 
November 3, 1620, speaks of settlements 
already made by Sir Ferdinando Gorges 
and his associates under the previous char- 
ter of James I., granted April 10, 1606. The 
language used in the description is worthy 
of special notice ; declaring that these per- 
sons "have divers Years past by God's Assis- 

1 Thornton's Ancieitt Pemaquid, p. 183. 



HISTORIC SKETCH. 1 9 

tance, and their own Endeavours taken ac- 
tual Possession of the Continent hereafter 
mentioned, in our Name and to our Use, as 
Sovereio^n Lord thereof, and have settled 
already some of our People in Places agree- 
able to their Desires in those Parts." As 
the harbor of Pemaquid was well known to 
the early navigators, who came out for the 
purpose of discovering suitable places for 
plantations, it is but a fair inference to sup- 
pose that its ease of access, safety, conven- 
ience and nearness to good fishing-grounds, 
fed to the formation of a settlement on 
its adjoining peninsula, as one of those 
" Places agreeable to the Desires " of the 
new-comers previous to the date of the 
charter of 1620. The patent granted to 
John Peirce in 162 1, which has hitherto 
been supposed to relate to the Plymouth 
settlement in Massachusetts, has been re- 
garded by some late historians as referring 
to Peirce's purchase in the region of Pema- 
quid. It recites that " the said John Peirce 
and his Associates have already transported 
and undertaken to transporte at their cost 
and chardges themselves and divers per- 
sons into New England and there to build 



20 HISTORIC SKETCH. 

a town and settle divers Inhabitants." His 
settlement was on the eastern shore of this 
territory/ 

In the " Brief Relation" of 1622, there are 
accounts of thirty ships fishing in these 
waters, and other ships bringing supplies 
to planters already settled here, from which 
provisions were furnished to the settlers at 
Plymouth. It seems incredible that so large 
a fleet of ships should be here, unless at this 
point a considerable settlement then existed. 
John Brown, the original proprietor of Bris- 
tol (embracing Pemaquid), obtained his title 
to the soil from the Indian chieftain, Sam- 
oset. This was the first deed ever given by 
ai Indian to a white man. In 1630 there 
was a fort at this point, and a considerable 
trade was carried on with the Plymouth 
colonists. At the time when this territory 
was merged in Massachusetts as the " Dis- 
trict of Maine," the citizens of this vicinity 
forwarded a petition to the Governor and 
Council of New York, urging the plea "that 
Pemaquid may still remain the metropolitan 

1 Willis's History of Portland considers that this patent is to be 
applied as here stated, and thinks that the lost Patent of Plymouth 
has not yet come to light. Thornton's Ancient Pemaquid ap- 
pears to concur in this view. 



HISTORIC SKETCH. 21 

of these parts, because it ever have been so 
before Boston was settled. "^ Says Thornton, 
" while the Pilo^rims were struo:o:linQ[ for life 
at Plymouth, and Conant founding Massa- 
chusetts at Cape Ann, Pemaquid was prob- 
ably the busiest place on the coast." ^ 

Here, then, doubtless existed one of the 
first permanent English settlements in New 
England. For a period of more than fifty 
years the colony prospered, and population 
and trade increased. The Indians were 
friendly, and mingled freely and familiarly 
among the colonists. Often might their 
canoes be seen skimming the smooth sur- 
face of the bay, or crossing the Pemaquid, 
bringing stores of game, furs, and the rare 
and beautiful articles of their curious work- 
manship. Even at this day may be seen 
marks of the ancient Indian trail at the car- 
rying-place from the eastern to the western 
shore of the peninsula, from New Harbor 
to the mouth of the Pemaquid River. This 
portage is well known to the Penobscot 
Indians, who, passing through this region, 
always follow the same trail. Samoset, the 
Monhegan chieftain, held large possessions 

1 Maine Historical Collectiofi, vol. v. p. 137. 
'■^ Ibid, p. 194. 



2 2 HISTORIC SKETCH. 

in Mavooshen, embracing the territory of 
Pemaquid. Here doubtless he first heard 
the EngHsh language, and learned to speak 
the words with which he greeted the Plym- 
outh colonists, " Welcome, Englishmen." 

A fort was erected in 1630 as a protec- 
tion against possible dangers, but proved 
an insufficient defense against the maraud- 
ing acts of the noted pirate, Dixie Bull. It 
seems not to have been needed against 
the Indians, whose friendliness continued 
until after the breaking out of hostilities in 
Massachusetts in the time of King Philip. 
Rumors of war reached Maine from abroad, 
and in 1676 parties of Indians from foreign 
tribes incited the natives here to fall upon 
the white men within their borders. A sur- 
prise attack was made upon the fort and 
settlement at Pemaquid, and the people, 
being unable to defend themselves success- 
fully, were forced to flee. They put to sea 
in boats, pursued by the war-whoop of the 
savage, and watching from afar the smoke 
and flames rising above the ruins of their 
desolated homes. 

The next year (1677) the fort was rebuilt 
by Governor Andros of New York, by au- 



HISTORIC SKETCH. 23 

thority of James, Duke of York. The ad- 
joining territory now constituted a ducal 
province, of which Pemaquid was the capi- 
tal. The new fort was named " Fort Charles," 
and the settlement around it was called 
" Jamestown." For some years the inhabi- 
tants enjoyed a season of undisturbed peace, 
and it is probable that during this period 
the city attained its highest prosperity. It 
became "the metropolis of the east, and 
was invested with an influence and impor- 
tance, as the mart of eastern trade, never 
before attained." ^ It was the centre of in- 
tercourse with the natives, and the only 
port of entry and clearance on this eastern 
coast. In appearance it probably bore a 
striking resemblance to some English sea- 
port town ; the houses, some of wood and 
some more substantial structures of stone, 
being built in the old English style. The 
streets were narrow, and paved with the 
cobble-stones of the beach. The principal 
street ran from the fort in a northeast di- 
rection. Two other streets ran the same 
course on either side of it, with cross streets 
at convenient intervals. 

1 Sewall's Ajicient Do7ninions of Maine, p. 175. 



24 HISTORIC SKETCH. 

Now passed the brightest hours in the 
history of " Ancient' Jamestown," when she 
sat in pride upon her royal seat, " Queen 
City of the East." The voyager from Eu- 
rope, saiHng along this wild and rugged 
coast, found not a spot so fair. Sailing up 
the broad bay, past green vine-covered isl- 
ands, into the quiet waters of the harbor, a 
scene of surpassing loveliness met his eye. 
The harbor, filled with shipping, lay calm 
and motionless as some enchanted sea. Be- 
fore him rose the battlements of Fort 
Charles, over whose summit waved the folds 
of Brittania's flag, bearing the Cross of St. 
George. Along the shore the busy wharves 
were burdened with foreign merchandise, 
and the custom-house opened its doors near 
the water's edge. Farther back rose the 
dwelling of the commandant, a spacious 
mansion, with a paved court surrounding it 
on three sides, crowned by an observatory 
that overlooked the sea. Smaller dwellings 
lay clustered around ; neat vine-embowered 
cottages, whose white walls shone in brilliant 
contrast with the dark green of the oak, the 
hemlock, and the pine. In the distant back- 
ground rose the dense forest, its crowded 



HISTORIC SKETCH. 25 

tree-tops swaying in the wind like the bil- 
lows of a vast sea ; while overhead flapped 
the wild wings of sea-birds, and the gray, 
majestic eagle soared upward to the clouds. 
The land-breeze wafted the murmur of the 
village from the shore. He hears the bark 
of the house-dog, the shout of children at 
their play, the sound of the hammer on the 
anvil, and the voice of the distant plough- 
man calling to his team, from the sunny 
slope by the river-side. Thus the fair city 
by the sea welcomed the stranger from 
afar, inviting, with all pleasant sights and 
sounds, the wanderer to linger on these bor- 
ders of Mavooshen. 

All went well with Jamestown until 1689, 
when the Penobscot Indians, coming in 
strong force, captured and destroyed it. 
The fort was rebuilt in 1692 by Sir William 
Phips, the son of a citizen of Pemaquid, and 
afterward Governor of Massachusetts, and 
was called Fort William Henry. It was 
constructed of stone, and was at that time 
considered the strongest defense of the kind 
on this continent. Four years after, it was 
attacked by French and Indians, under com- 
mand of Iberville. In approaching the 



26 HISTORIC SKETCH. 

coast, he encountered two English vessels 
with a tender on their way to the Bay of 
Fundy, to intercept French storeships. A 
battle ensued in which he came off victori- 
ous, capturing the English ship Newport. 
The other vessels escaped. Iberville then 
made sail for Pemaquid. He was joined by 
Castine, with a flotilla of canoes manned by 
two hundred Indian warriors. They suc- 
ceeded in capturing the fort. The town 
was plundered, and the fort dismantled. 
Thus it remained until 1729, when it was 
again rebuilt by Governor Dunbar, and 
named Fort Frederic. This fort stood 
until the War of the Revolution, when it 
was finally pulled down by the inhabitants, 
who feared it might be occupied by the 
English. 

Since then a heap of ruins has marked 
the spot where once the heavy guns were 
pointed against the invader, and where the 
gates of refuge were thrown open to the set- 
tlers fleeing from a savage foe. The storms 
of war are past. The thunder of the 
guns and the wild cry of the savage are 
heard no more. A single farm-house stands 
alone upon the site of the once populous 



HISTORIC SKETCH. 2 J 

city. The slow years passing over it have 
wrought their silent work, leaving only 
ruins to tell the story of the past. 

At the northern extremity of what was 
once the main street, lying a little to the east, 
is an inclosed cemetery. There, among 
grave-stones of a more modern date, still 
stand some ancient tablets, whereon one 
may read the quaint characters and inscrip- 
tions of the olden time. Outside the in- 
closure the graves are more numerous than 
within ; but the time-worn stones have crum- 
bled to decay, or been removed by some for- 
mer proprietors of the soil. Within the ru~ 
ined inclosure of the fort sleep many of the 
brave who fell in battle. Over the pave- 
ments the soil has gathered to the depth of 
many inches. There the grass grows tall in 
summer, waving silently over the foot-prints 
of the departed. Along the line of the 
streets may still be counted the half-obliter- 
ated cellars of former dwellings ; now and 
then some curious relic is dug out from the 
mouldering remains within. The outlines 
of the fort may still be plainly traced. At 
its western angle stands a high rock formerly 
inclosed within the round tower, over which 



2S HISTORIC SKETCH. 

the large gun of the fort was mounted. The 
ruins are now overgrown with briers, vines, 
and wild rose-bushes, and present a pictu- 
resque appearance to the visitor. 

The scene from the highlands on the op- 
posite bank of the river is one of striking 
beauty. The river flowing between sloping 
banks of green, the quiet harbor, and the 
broad bay widening to the distant sea, the 
site of Jamestown, the lone farm-house 
standing on its summit, the high rock of the 
ancient tower with the clambering vines at 
its base, the gleaming stones that mark the 
field of graves, and the distant islands with 
white sails gliding between, all unite to form 
a rare picture in the soft light of a summer 
day. 

A wild sublimity of change sweeps over 
it with winter and storm. Then huge waves 
lash the trembling rocks, and break in thun- 
der on the shore, raging in midnight revel 
around the ruins of the silent city. 

M. W. H. 
/ > 



JAMESTOWN OF PEMAOUID. 



I. 
The summer fields in quiet beauty sleep, 

The shining river widens to the bay, 
And glimmering sails float idly on the deep. 
Where rocks the fisher through the 
dreamy day ; 
The white clouds sweep across the change- 
ful sky, 
The eagle soars majestic from the weir, 
Wild odors of the woods go drifting by, 
W^ith song of birds and laughing echoes 
clear. 

II. 
The restless sea resounds along the shore. 
The lio-ht land-breeze flows outward with 
a sigh, 
And each to each seems chanting ever- 
more 
A mournful memory of the days gone by ; 



30 JAMESTOWN OF PEMAQUID. 

All underneath these tufted mounds of 
grass 
Lies many a relic, many a storied stone, 
And pale ghosts rise as lingering footsteps 
pass 
The ruined fort with tangled vines o'er- 
grown. 



III. 
Green is the sod where, centuries ago, 
The pavements echoed with the throng- 
ing feet 
Of busy crowds that hurried to and fro, 

And met and parted in the city street ; 
Here, where they lived, all holy thoughts 
revive, 
Of patient striving and of faith held fast; 
Here, where they died, their buried records 
live ; 
Silent they speak from out the shadowy 
past. 

IV. 

The white-winged ships slow sailing toward 
the west 
To lands unknown, from Old World 
shores afar. 



JAMESTOWN OF PEMAQUID. 3I 

In search of fairer climes and homes more 
blest, 
Seen but in dreams, like some bright dis- 
tant star, 
Cast anchor here ; sad eyes, with watching 
dim. 
Beheld these shores in native wildness 
clad. 
And thanks arose in many a joyful hymn : 
The land was goodly, and their hearts 
were glad. 

V. 

First dwellers on New England's rock- 
bound soil. 
Amid these wilds their humble homes 
they made ; 
Children of luxury, hardy sons of toil. 

Together suffered and together prayed ; 
Here rose, among the hills and forests grand, 

The growing tumult of a striving race ; 
The sounds, still wandering through the 
echoing land. 
Like spirits haunt their ancient dwelling- 
place. 



32 JAMESTOWN OF PEMAQUID. 

m 

VI. 

From year to year the prosperous hamlet 
grew, 
The valleys echoed with the sounds of 
toil, 
The axe and hammer rang the forest 
through, 
And rich grain ripened on the virgin soil ; 
The fearless hunter tracked the bounding 
prey. 
The fisher drew his heavy nets with glee, 
Full freighted ships came crowding up the 

bay 
With costly store from lands beyond the sea. 

VII. 

The hum of schools, the shout when tasks 
were done. 
The din of shops, the court-room's mur- 
mur, rose 
In mingling uproar, till the sunset gun 
Flashed from the frowning fort at day- 
light's close. 
From happy homes the earnest tones of 
prayer 
Went floating upward through the twi- 
light dim. 



JAMESTOWN OF PE MA QUID. 33 

And by the hearthstone smiHng in her chair 
The saint-hke mother sang her cradle 
hymn. 

VIII. 

Young hearts beat light amid the gathered 
throng, 
Where rosy hours flew by on silver feet, 
And lingering notes of laughter and of 
song 
With softened echoes filled the lighted 
street ; 
The young moon, smiling through her va- 
pory vail. 
Looked tenderly the twining branches 
through, 
Where maidens listened to the oft-told tale, 
Old as the world, and yet forever new. 

IX. 

The holy benediction here was shed 

On loving hearts^ the husband and the 
wife. 
And faith's triumphant requiem blessed the 
dead : 
" I am the Resurrection and the Life ; " 
Sweet Sabbath sounds of worship charmed 
the ear, 
3 



34 JAMESTOWN OF PEMAQUID. 

The grand Church service of the olden 
time ; 
And savage crowds in silent awe drew near 
When " Gloria in Excelsis " rose sublime. 



X. 

Thus smoothly passed their lives of calm 
content, 
Their days of peace, their nights of safe 
repose, 
Ere foreign foes, on murderous errand bent, 
Began the lingering torture of their woes ; 
The hunter found a welcome frank and free. 
Where painted braves in smoky wigwam 
hid, 
And oft beneath the settler's household tree 
Sat Samoset, the " Lord of Pemaquid." 

XI. 

The light canoe, swift glancing o'er the tide, 
Bore curious treasures from the wilds 
along. 
And through the echoing forest wandering 
wide. 
The Indian maiden sang her plaintive 
song; 



JAMESTOWN OF'PEMAQUID. 35 

The star-eyed daisies bloomed in valleys 
fine, 
The scarlet lilies flamed among the trees, 
And spicy breath of hemlock and of pine 
Came wafted sweet on every passing 
breeze. 

XII. 

Happy the lives that drew to peaceful close 

Before the dawning of a darker day ; 
No cry of horror broke their deep repose, 
No midnight tocsin called them to the 
fray, 
When wild the war-whoop clove the quiver- 
ing air. 
With crash of cannon and the trumpet's 
clang, 
When wails of woman and the voice of 
prayer 
With moans of death through fair Ma- 
vooshen rang. 

XIII. 

The frantic mother wept and prayed in vain, 
While savage hands the smiling infant 
slew, 
And burning ruin smoked along the plain, 
So wild, so sharp, the fiendish warfare 
grew; 



36 JAMESTOWN OF PEMAQUID. 

And o'er the sea the darkening horror swept, 
Where flame-wreathed vessels battled all 
in vain, 
And o'er the land pale Fear with Famine 
crept, 
Dark Desolation's slow and silent train. 

XIV. 

Then sad and lingering was the sure decay. 
That dragged the dying city to its doom. 
Till this fair valley where we walk to-day, 

From hill to river, blossoms o'er a tomb ; 
The happy homes so bright, so full of song, 
Lie mouldering here beneath the crum- 
bling clay ; 
The happy hearts, with faith and courage 
strong, 
Sleep on beside them, cold and still as 
they. 

How calm they lie ! how sweet their sleep ! 

A silent age of dreamless rest ; 
While viewless hosts forever keep 

Their loving guard around the blest. 

The sun and cloud above them pass. 

The moonbeam silvers o'er their graves, 



JAMESTOWN OF PEMAQUID. 37 

The wind creeps sighing through the grass, 
And rocks resound with dash of waves. 

And still, as in those distant years, 
The wild rose blossoms o'er the plain ; 

The robin still the summer cheers, 
Sweeps on the river, falls the rain. 

The rolling years like dreams go by, 
And life glides swiftly to its goal, 

And swifter than the eagles fly 

Comes on the triumph of the soul, — 

When faith and love like stars shall shine 
Immortal o'er decay and gloom. 

And human hope, like flowers divine. 
In gardens of our God shall bloom. 

XV. 

Smile on, fair river, flowing to the sea. 

And chant, O sea, your anthem evermore ; 
Seasons shall roll, and human life shall be 
Golden with hope as life hath been be- 
fore ; 
The sacred records of the dead remain. 
And faithful history calls them from the 
past; 



38 JAMESTOWN OF PE ATA QUID. 

Their feet shall tread with ours the distant 
plain, 
Whose shining space outspreads sublime 
and vast. 

XVI. 

The tumult of the nations rises still, 

The shout of war, the grateful hymn of 
peace ; 
The torch of science gleams from hill to 
hill. 
While glowing stores in realms of art in- 
crease ; 
And some more prosperous city yet may 
rise 
O'er ancient Jamestown with its field of 
graves, 
And passing ships may hail with glad sur« 
prise 
Its white towers gleaming o'er the glitter- 
ing waves. 



NOTES. 



Verse I. " The eagle soars,'" etc. — The white-headed eagle and 
the fishing eagle are common to this region, and on almost any- 
pleasant day may be seen soaring above the waters of the river 
and harbor of Pemaquid. 

Verse IX. ^'' The grand Church service,^'' etc. — The following 
extract is taken from the " Pemaquid Papers," pp. 79, 80 : " And 
for the promoting of piety it is requisite that a person be ap- 
pointed by the Comissioners to read prayers and the holy Scrip- 
tures." — Me. Hist. Coll. vol. v. A paper in manuscript is still 
preserved, showing that this design was carried out. Ibid, vol. 
vi. p. 191. It would appear therefore that " the rites and services 
of the Church of England were the established religious feature 
of the population of Jamestown at Pemaquid." — Sewall's Ancient 
Dominions of Maine, p. 184. 

Verse X. '•'■ Pemaqnid.'''' — This aboriginal name has been 
transmitted in several different forms, of which the present has 
been the most enduring. It denotes the character of the stream 
as it " bends " around the headlands in its tidal flow to the ocean ; 
and, as the word means, it may be fitly called " The Winding- 
River." 

Verse XL " The star-eyed daisies bloomed,'''' etc. — It is said that 
the daisy is not a native of this soil, but was brought from Eng- 
land in the earliest days of the settlement, and planted in gardens. 
From these they spread so rapidly that soon the fields and mead- 
ows were white with them. They are now the most common 
flower in the fields of Maine, and are known by the familiar name 
of " white weed." 

The scarlet lily is a native of these woods. During the month 
of August the forests and fields are brilliant with its showy bios- 



40 NOTES. 

Verse XII. '^ Mavooshen.''^ — Of the several modes of writing 
this word found in ancient narratives, this form, though not the 
most accurate, is the best adapted to poetic measure. The name 
** Ma-woo-shen," originally denoted a locality, but was extended 
by Europeans to embrace the chief part of the coast of Maine- 

Verse XIV. " From hill to river, blossoms o'er a iombP — The 
ground once occupied by the city of Jamestown might at most be 
said to constitute a vast grave-yard. The proprietors of the soil, 
within the last half-century, have found graves in almost every 
part of its territory. 



